BYM Marine Environment News

America’s Cup : Discovering the sea and learning how to protect it

Tuesday, 10 April 2012

Rediscover the sea and learn to protect it. That is the objective of the project Healthy Ocean, sponsored by the America’s Cup in conjunction with IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The initiative aims to raise public awareness about issues that relate to the sea in venues that are hosting events on the AC World Series.

This morning 50 children and young adults made a visit to the marine-protected Gaiola Underwater Park, near Posillipo. Passing through the ancient and picturesque grotto of Sejanus, a long tunnel built by the Romans in the first century AD, you arrive at the small cove of Gaiola, where history and nature merge into one: most of the ruins of the ancient villa of Augustus have sunk underwater.

Today this small part of the sea is home to an incredible underwater archaeological park. The researchers of the protected area have got children involved in a series of educational activities on issues of marine wildlife, waste collection and recycling.

But the initiatives of the America's Cup to help defend the environment do not stop there: non-profit organisation, Sailors for the Sea, has launched the CleanRegattas initiative, with the specific aim of reducing the environmental impact of sailing regattas around the world. According to Annie Brett, promoter of the project: “The work ahead of us is still long and challenging. If we’re to succeed, we must reduce marine pollution through small, daily actions: the key message is ‘recycle’.